Ogrinz Labs developed a Robbie the Robot costume, but the costume’s height made it impossible to see through the “mouth” grille. The problem was solved with an automotive rear-view camera featuring the AMT630A chip. The GitHub project provides access to the chip’s on-screen graphics via ESP32 and I2C; the software is offered as an Arduino library. The costume is intended to display navigation data.
Why it matters
This work shows that solving a vision problem in a wearable robot costume may depend not only on physical design but also on repurposing off-the-shelf automotive electronics. The ability to access the AMT630A’s on-screen graphics via ESP32 and I2C provides the technical layer for adding navigation data to the camera feed. Published as an Arduino library, the software offers an examinable foundation for developers working with similar hardware and software configurations. In this way, the project presents an open development approach that brings together different components, going beyond the practical problem in a single costume. However, the interface in which the navigation information will be used within the costume, the form in which it will be displayed, and how usable it will be remain questions left open by the shared work.